Dear Asian filmmakers, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (Canada) is accepting documentaries until January 8, 2026.

About the festival:
Hot Docs was founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada (formerly the Canadian Independent Film Caucus), a national association of independent documentary filmmakers. In 1996, Hot Docs became a separately incorporated organization with a mandate to showcase and support the work of Canadian and international documentary filmmakers and to promote excellence in documentary production.

Each year, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival—North America’s largest doc festival, conference and market—presents over 200 cutting edge films from around the world.

Eligibility:
– All films must have been completed after January 1, 2025.
– Features (over 66 minutes), mid-length films (between 41 – 65 minutes), and episodic series must be at minimum Ontario premieres.
– Short films (under 40 minutes) must be at minimum Toronto premieres.
– Episodic Series: Long-form narratives that can’t be told within the framing of a feature-length doc. No set runtime.
– All films must be in English, subtitled in English or English versioned (non-English language films may be submitted with an English transcript; however, if selected for Hot Docs, the film must be subtitled or dubbed into English at the applicant’s expense).
– All films must not have submitted to the Festival previously in any stage of completion.
– Submission Fees and Deadlines:

* – Please note that HST taxes (13%) will be added on all transactions within Canada. Fees are in Canadian Dollars (CAD). 

– Notification Date: Mid March 2026

We recommend filmmakers to read the full Rules and Regulations here: https://hotdocs.ca/industry/conference/submit-a-film (This is also the submission link)

We remind readers that the 33rd Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival will take place from April 23 until May 3, 2026 in Toronto, Canada.

Looking for a festival distributor? Learn more about our services here

To see other Calls please follow the next link: “Call For Entries”.